Hi Tyler. It’s great that you’re taking an interest in transport design. Like others have said, it’s a broad topic. I ride a Pedego Ridge Rider Mostly on road and trolly trails. It’s a class 2 and I use the throttle only to get going from standstill. For a >60 lb bike that’s a safety feature. I like the integrated battery for esthetics and mostly charge it off bike at home. So ease of removal. I like the adjustable air forks and I’ve installed a Kinect suspension seat post. Between these two items the bike is very comfortable for me. And fully adjustable. I’ve installed Schwalbe Marathon tires and have been flat free for over 1500 miles.
I think my next bike will belt driven and either a hub gear ( Rohloff, Enviolo) with mid drive motor, or a Pinion gear with hub motor. These are maintenance free systems and technically advancing bicycle drive trains. Notwithstanding price, normal gears and derailleurs, while cheaper and lighter, are questionable for use on ebikes today. These historic systems always need cleaning, adjustments and chain replacements.
in your design, think about two groups. First is young people who don’t want/need a car with it’s related expenses. Try to include some anti theft or tracking device if stolen. (Hide an Apple pod under the seat). Secondly, design for Boomers who want to stay active. In this group figure out a gyroscopic feature (like Segway) to help with balance. More women fear biking as they age since they worry (a lot) about falling a breaking a hip. In both cases visibility matters a lot for safety. Lights, bright colors, horns/bells that can be heard by seniors walking ( frequency) and penetrate ear buds playing music or podcasts (blue tooth warning). Maybe some new sensor device that is more visible to autonomous vehicles. It’s time for tech to help keep cyclists safe from cars.
Good luck. You are our future developers.
